Riverside, Calif., January, 2001-- Marla Osborne Anderson (CAS‚81), MA, JD, judge in the Superior Court in Monterey Country, California, returned to her alma mater on Jan. 9 at the invitation of the Women's Resource Center and the Provost of La Sierra University.

Judge Anderson spoke at a student assembly in the La Sierra University Church. She began by telling students she "felt their pain," referring to the ages-old practice of studying or finishing assignments during assembly; however, students closed their books and listened so attentively to her story that the only sound in the vast church sanctuary was the amplified voice of the judge.

Anderson gave a case study of a 19 year-old who had come before her bench for sentencing, and how she arrived at the sentence. Then she backed up and explained the process involved in becoming a judge, including her education, her years as assistant district attorney, and the interviews leading to her appointment by Governor Pete Wilson. When she was asked how she could assure the governor that her nomination would not bring dishonor to the state, Anderson thought back to her Christian education at La Sierra University, and answered that she'd be ethical, considerate, and of good moral character specifically because of her Christian education. She said that she'd been taught to be a whole person because of the emphasis on physical, mental, and spiritual values.

Is a Christian education worth the tuition and the time investment, Anderson asked. A student sitting in the fourth row of the church shifted his weight, chuckled, and whispered to a friend, but then settled in for the answer.

Anderson explained that there are several formulas for decision making in her profession. Her epiphany for making right decisions was learning the meaning of Matthew 6:33, she said. "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." She read the dictionary definition of each word in the verse, and then put the definitions together. Search for and track down the realm of God, and what is morally right and just, and the full extent of everything will be added to you, she paraphrased. When she applies that verse to her difficult decisions, she knows that she will make the best decision possible for the situation. Anderson attributes her Christian ethics to "doing time" here at La Sierra.

Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, she said that a complete life has three dimensions: length, breadth, and height, which related to our own development, concern for others, and reaching for God, respectively.

When looking for a complete education, secular institutions cannot compete, said Anderson. Only a Christian school can teach wholeness by emphasizing the spiritual life along with the mental and physical aspects, she affirmed.

After graduating from La Sierra University in 1981, Anderson studied at the University of Southern California Annenberg School of Communications, where she received a Master of Arts degree in communications management. In 1986 she earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Davis. Since that time, Anderson has worked as a prosecuting attorney, a municipal court judge, and now a superior court judge in the county of Monterey, California. Anderson is married and the mother of a two year-old daughter.

A male senior communications major said of Judge Anderson, "I thought it would be an assembly like the others. But this time I really enjoyed it. She is a real woman!"

"I thought it was refreshing to have a young, minority, woman who has achieved such great success. It was inspiring," said a male senior graphic design major.

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Story and photos by Christy K. Robinson